Living near traffic linked to increased cancer risk in children

Researchers have already uncovered worrying signs that exposure to traffic – and the vehicle emissions that come with it – can increase a child’s risk of developing asthma and autism. Now comes evidence that it may make children more susceptible to certain kinds of cancers.

Researchers used the California Department of Transportation’s computer model of traffic-related air pollution to estimate pollution exposure in communities across the state. They also used the California Cancer Registry to identify 3,590 children born between 1998 and 2007 who were diagnosed with some type of cancer. Then they compared the two to look for links between traffic and cancer incidence.

The researchers – from UCLA, USC and UC Irvine – ranked places in the state according to their degree of pollution resulting from traffic and sorted them into four groups, from the least exposure to the most. They discovered that the more pollution in a place, the higher the incidence of certain kinds of childhood cancers. These included acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a type of blood cancer in which the bone marrow overproduces a type of immature white blood cell called a lymphocyte; tumors in the ovaries, testicles and other reproductive organs; and retinoblastoma, an eye cancer that affects the retina and usually develops in children before they turn 5 years old.

In general, these cancers are rare and the increases in risk associated with traffic exposure were relatively small. For example, during the second trimester of pregnancy, moving from one group of pollution exposure to the next-higher group was associated with a 4% increased risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a 17% increased risk of tumors in the reproductive organs (also known as germ cell tumors) and a 14% increased risk of retinoblastoma. (For cases involving both eyes, the risk increased by 19%.)

There were also signs that more exposure to traffic was associated with more cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (another blood cancer) and ependymoma (a cancer of tissues in the brain and spinal cord), but those links could have been due to chance, the researchers reported.

Overall, the team found that any increases in cancer risk were the same during all three trimesters of pregnancy as well as for the first year of a child’s life. Put another way, there was no period in early development when children were particularly susceptible to the harmful effects of traffic-related pollution.

Team members also emphasized that their results were preliminary and that more studies were needed to nail down any link between traffic exposure and childhood cancers.

The results were presented Tuesday at the annual meeting of the American Assn. for Cancer Research in Washington.

News Source: www.latimes.com

Key to cancer prevention may be keeping your heart healthy

New research finds that people who follow the American Heart Association's "Life's Simple 7" steps to lower their risk for heart disease get an added bonus of protection against cancer. The more steps you follow, the better the risk reduction, according to the study.

"This can help health professionals provide a clear, consistent message about the most important things people can do to protect their health and lower their overall risk for chronic diseases," study author Dr. Laura J. Rasmussen-Torvik, an assistant professor at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, urged doctors in a statement.

Just what are the "Simple 7" tips to stave off heart disease?

Being active: If adults get at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity each day -- like brisk walking -- five times per week, they can lower risk for heart disease, stroke and diabetes, says AHA.
Keeping a healthy weight: Too much fat - especially around the waist, known as visceral fat - raises risk for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. About one-third of U.S. adults are obese.
Eating a healthy diet: A diet low in saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, sodium and added sugars along with a diet high in whole grain fiber, lean proteins and colorful fruits and vegetables could dramatically boost health, AHA says.
Maintaining cholesterol: When you have too much "bad" LDL cholesterol, plaque can form in veins and arteries that cause heart attacks, strokes.
Keeping blood pressure down: The AHA says high blood pressure -- or hypertension -- is the "single most significant risk factor for heart disease." Hypertension also puts strain on the kidneys.
Regulating blood sugar levels: Diabetes can cause blood sugar to rise to dangerous levels, damaging the heart, kidneys, eyes and nerves over time.
Not smoking: Smoking damages the entire circulatory system, says AHA, increasing risk for coronary heart disease, hardened arteries, aneurysm and blood clots.
For the new study, published March 18 in the AHA's journal Circulation, researchers tracked more than 13,000 white and black Americans enrolled in a long-running study of atherosclerosis risk that kicked off in 1987. Participants were interviewed at the study's start to gauge their health habits, and about 20 years later, researchers looked at cancer registries and hospitals to determine that more than 2,800 of the participants had developed cancer. Lung, colon, rectum, prostate and breast cancers were most common.

The researchers found that those who followed six or seven of the AHA's tips reduced their risk for cancer by 51 percent, compared to participants who followed zero of the health tips. Meeting four factors led to a 33 percent risk reduction, but even following one or two was tied to a 21 percent drop in cancer risk.

When the researchers removed smoking from their analysis, which is often flagged as a major risk factor for cancer or heart disease, the researchers found participants who followed five or six of the remaining health tips had a 25 percent lower risk of having cancer compared to those who followed none.
"Quitting smoking is very important, but there are other factors you need to be aware of if you want to live a healthy life," Rasmussen-Torvik said.

Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center, told HealthDay that past studies have suggested eating one way to avoid heart disease, another to avoid diabetes and another to prevent cancer.

"This never made sense," said Katz, who was not involved in the research. "Take good care of your body by exercising it, feeding it well and sparing it exposures to such toxins as tobacco, and it is far more likely to take good care of you, sparing you heart disease and cancer, not to mention other chronic diseases."

News Source: www.cbsnews.com